Focusing on the ethnicity of the men convicted of child sex offences in Rochdale detracts from the real issue: this was ultimately about the strong preying on the weak

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Arrested for being a public nuisance outside a takeaway shop, the 15-year-old blamed her behaviour – screaming and bashing the counter – on the systemic abuse she had suffered at the hands of two men inside. During six hours of videotaped testimony she went on to say how she'd been lured in by the men with gifts – drinks and a phone card or maybe something to eat – and made to feel "pretty" before eventually being asked to "pay for" the vodka with sex. She even handed over underwear spotted with the 59-year-old accused's DNA.

Nine months later, in August 2009, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to charge the two men as the girl would make an "unreliable witness" and the lawyer doubted any jury would believe her.